Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
...And I Love This Album, January 20, 2007
At 62, Ross could've easily taken the same route as most of her contemporaries and played it safe by recording the great American songbook. Not this time and not this unique songstress. Ross had her own ideas of recording past pop and R&B favorites from the 50's to the present, and delivers them with the same passion she had all those years ago. The result is a magnificent album entitled I Love You which can also be purchased as a special edition CD and DVD package, so you can not only hear this diva in action, you can savor the visual as well. And seeing Ross after a seven year absence is a wonderful treat. She looks as if she hasn't aged a day, and that voice, which has been described by Mick Jagger "as smooth as velvet," remains crystalline.
Recently I read a review that said that Ross should've included more up-tempo numbers because that is what she does best. It may have been true with her 60's classics with The Supremes and a few disco numbers from the 70's ("Love Hangover" and "The Boss" come to mind), but I have to disagree and say that when Ross sings a ballad, she shines the brightest. Think back to her solo heyday of the 70's and 80's. Nobody worked love songs the way she did. Hits such as "Touch Me In The Morning," "Do You Know Where You're Going To," her biggest chart topper "Endless Love," and the song that was written specifically for her by Lionel Richie as a dedication to her fallen friend Marvin Gaye, "Missing You," are everlasting proof.
The album kicks off with a song of yesteryear, "Remember," setting the stage for all of the love classics that Ross covers. Ross not only has her share of lush ballads, but she also strays into R&B territory with her old buddy Marvin Gaye's classic mid-tempo "I Want You," complete with heavy bass and beats that make this song so sublime and sexy. Other R&B favorites include Bill Withers' stunning 70's symphony "Lovely Day," the Heatwave classic "Always And Forever," and the 60's gem that was originally sung by The Drifters and later covered by Jay & The Americans, "This Magic Moment," are performed superbly. Pop highlights include a dazzling rendition of Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful," Lennon and McCartney's "I Will," The Platters' 1955 classic "Only You," and my favorite track on the album, the Bacharach/David masterpiece "The Look Of Love," which is arranged samba style with a Spanish guitar and makes you yearn for an entire album recorded in this fashion which suits Ross' sultry softness so well. Other songs that may not be as familiar but are equally as impressive are "What About Love," culled from the soundtrack The Color Purple, "To Be Loved," and the dramatic title cut (and the one original track), "I Love You (That's All That Really Matters)." Of the 15 tracks, I'd say there are only two missteps; A cover of The Spiral Staircase's 60's romp "More Today Than Yesterday," where Ross sounds as if she's competing with the pace, and the Oscar-winning song "Take My Breath Away," originally recorded by 80's synth group Berlin, is not produced and arranged to properly accompany Ross' vocals. The album closes with a reprise of "Remember," which wraps the album up into one beautifully love-themed opus.
Ross' unique vocal style is a fresh reminder of what has been sorely missed in the music that makes up today's Top 40. For all of the rumors and innuendo that has been spewed throughout Ross' storied career, when it comes to talent there's no argument as to why Ross became a living legend before she turned thirty years old. I Love You is an appropriate title and message to the fans that have stood by this diva for the past 40-plus years. Listening to this album is like welcoming an old friend home, I truly hear a symphony.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Diana fought the good fight and won, January 26, 2007
After a spectacular career, Diana lost her way for a long, long time. But it is significant, and speaks to her spirit, that she never gave in and never gave up. She kept making music and some of the albums she made which went all but unnoticed, particularly "Every Day Is A New Day," soared with creativity, passion, insight and foresight. She could have just given up but she didn't and finally she has a hit album which is an international success. It debuted on the Billboard charts domestically at 32. Don't be surprised if it goes higher as word gets around about it. Now there's one thing Diana must do to repair her legacy for the future. She must find it in herself to get back together with Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong and do at least one Supremes engagement in an appropriate venue. It doesn't have to be a giant tour or an over-the-top show. It can just be them, three microphones, an orchestra and their music and their look. And it should be the three of them up front, together, at three microphones, no one in the back, equal partners. This will erase the bad taste (in all senses) of the Return to Love debacle and also honor the history of the Supremes while there are these three Supremes to honor it. This project should not be about money, billing or who's on first, but about giving dignity to what became sadly sullied. If Diana can do that everyone will be telling her "I love you."
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE BUT ESPECIALLY THE BOOMERS, January 18, 2007
Not what you might expect in relation to her last couple of CDs. She obviously has stopped trying to compete for the Mariah/Mary J. market and has just recorded some very pretty and easy on the ears songs. She has chosen not to record those pre-rock and roll 50's standards that have been done to death but instead has put together a group of songs that you don't hear too often but are definitely standards in their own right. 'I Love You' is the only original and 'How About Love' is from the Broadway show 'The Color Purple'...both very nice. It is refreshing to be able to enjoy music again.
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